Door latch



Nov. 10, 1942. R, MARPLE 2,301,559

DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 2 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 4 IZ VVENTOR Fa [la Mdrfle.

m TTORNEYfi Nov. 10, 1942. R. MARPLE 2,301,559

DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 21, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [NVENTOR v F0220 lVdI Ze.

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' A TTORNE Y5- assigned to the same assignee as Patented Nov. 10, 1942 DO 'OR LATCH Mich, assignor to Hancock Rollo Marple, Jackson,

Manufacturing Company, corporation of Michigan Jackson, MiclL, a

Application October 21, 1938, Serial No. 236,135

3 Claims.

The present invention relates tolatching devices for closures, and in the specific embodiment herein disclosed provides an improved latch particularly adapted. to be used in connection with automobile doors. In certain of its aspects, the present invention is directed to improvements upon the invention disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of the present applicant, Serial No. 187,370, filed January 28, 1938, and

application. 7

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a latch, characterized in that it may be economically manufactured and assembled, and that is extremely effective and eflicient in operation; to provide such a latch which may be characterized as embodying a pivotally mounted bolt for cooperation with a lock keeper element, one or more selectively operable cams for holding the bolt in a latching position, and means operable from within or without the door for releasing the cam means; to provide such an arrangement wherein the means for releasing the cam means is also arranged to cooperate with the lock keeper to hold the parts in a so-called safety position; to provide such an arrangement wherein the pivoted bolt and the cam means are disposed to be carried upon the rail of an associated door, and wherein the mechanism for controlling the release of the cam means is disposed to be carried interiorly oi the door; to provide such an arrangement comprising an improved structural relation between the outside and inside operated means and the releasing mecha nism for the cam means; to provide such an arrangement embodying an means disposed to selectively prevent operation of either the inside or the outside release mechanism; and to provide such an arrangement providing improved means responsive to a move ment of the bolt for releasing the locking means. With the above as well as other objects in view, which appear in the following description and in the present improved lockingthe appended claims, a preferred but illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, throughout which corresponding reference characters are used to designate c rresponding parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in interior elevation showing the application of the invention to a Vehicle door;

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation, taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

action.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view in section, line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view in section, taken along the line 6-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view in section, line 1-1 of Fi 4;

Fig. 8 is a view in horizontal section, taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are views corresponding generally to Figs. 4 and 3, respectively, but showing the parts in diiferent operating positions thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the improved latch of the present invention comprises primarily a pivotally mounted bolt 20; a series of holding cams designated as a whole as 22, which are arranged to hold the bolt 20 in looking position; a retracting member 24 which. serves as a safety catch and also serves to release the cams 22 from holding relation to the bolt 20; an outside rollback member 26 disposed for operation in response to movement of the usual externally operated handle 28; an inside link 30, disposed for operation by means of the usual inside door handle 32; and a control arm 34 which is disposed to respond to movements of either the outside rollback 26 on the inside link 30 so as to actuate the retracting member 24. The bolt 20 and the earns 22 are mounted within an auxiliary casing 36, which projects outwardly from the rail of the door through an opening therein, and is secured to the flange 38 of the case plate of the latch. The remaining above identified elements are carried uponthe base 40 of the case plate, which, as will be understood, is suitably secured within the body of the vehicle door 42. As is hereinafter described in more detail, the bolt in cooperates with a keeper element id stationarily mounted upon the door pillar to securely hold the door in its fully closed position. The pillar is also provided with an addit'onal keeper element 4B, which, in combination with the keeper 44, cooperates with the bolt 20 and the under side of the housing 26 to provide a dovetail taken along the taken along the operates with the retracting member to provide the previously mentioned safety catch efiect, so as to hold the door in a partially closed position.

Considering the above mentioned elements in more detail, the bolt 20 is of generally bell-crank formation, and is provided with a keeper engaging portion 50, which in the fully closed position of the door, abuts the angular keeper surface 52, to hold the door in the latched position.

The lower keeper element 46 also 00-- ally mounted w thin the housing The bolt to is also provided with a. cam engaging nose 54, which cooperates with the cams 22, as hereinafter described, to hold the bolt 20 in the position shown in Fig. 3, and to continuously urge the bolt 20 in a counterclockwise direction of rotation, so as to continuously urge the door 40 to the fully closed position. The bolt '28 is also. provided with a tail portion 56, which cooperates with the rear face of the associated keeper portion 44, as hereinafter described, to effect a. preliminary pivotal movement of the bolt Ed] in a locking direction during the preliminary stages of the door closing movement. The bolt 26 is pivotally mounted within the previously mentioned housing 36 upon a pin 58, one end whereof is supported in the outer face of the housing and the other end whereof is supported by the flange of the latch case plate.

The series of cams 22?, illustrated as being three in number, correspond generally in arrangement and function to the corresponding series of cams described in the above identified era-pending application. The earns 22, which are individually designated til, @2, and 64, are pivotupon a pin 65, one end whereof is supported. upon the or oer face of the housing 36 and the other end whereof is supported by the case plate flange St. The cams tit, 52, and 5e, are of progressively increasing length, so as to have a progressively efiective locking action upon the bolt 2b, the cam so being the shortest of the series and being positioned immediately adjacent the flange 38 of the case plate. The cams fill, til and tit are continuously urged to the latched position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a'series of springs Sit, one whereof is individual to each cam, and which springs are suitably secured within the housing to. The cams 60, 62, and 6t may be retracted against the force of the biasing springs E56, by means of a vertical movement oi the retracting member 2 as viewed in Fig. 3. In order to enable the retracting member 24 to efiect a simultaneous retracto is pro- 1 tion oi all of the cams, the inner earn vided with a laterally offset foot it upon the member in addition, ti provided with a lateral projection it, which er:- tends across the faces of the companion earns 62 and M. With this relation it will be undenstood that upward movement of the end of the arm it causes the foot iii, and the cans. 6t to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in- Fig. 3. This rotation, through the projection 71?, is imparted to the companion cams t2 and The retracting member is of generally bellcrank. formation, the portion i1 3 thereof being generally planar, and lying immediately adjacent the baseilii of the case plate base. The other portion it thereof is deformed by a suitable die forming operation or otherwise, into the generally channel-shape shown clearly in Figs. 3,, 8, 7, and 10, so as to provide a fiat surface for cooperation with the previously mentioned cam foot to, and to provide an angularly extending cam. surface for cooperation with keeper element at as hereinafter described. The retracting member to is pivotaliy supported upon the base 40 of the case plate by means of a pin 82, one

cam is till end whereof is supported by the base as, and the other end whereof is supported by an auxiliary case plate member 8t, which is secured to the base All in inwardly spaced relation thereto. The end it of the retracting member 241 projects through an opening provided therefor in the case plate flange 38 into the housing time vertical 75 away, as indicated at $1612 and 36b, respectively, in Fig. 3, to provide an opening through it projects, thus exposing such under side for cooperation with the keeper member 66.

The portion it of the retracting member 2% extends generally upwardly within the latch from the pivot pin t2, for cooperation with the outside and inside release mechanisms 26 and 3d and also for cooperation with the locking roller it, described hereinafter.

The outside rollback 26 and claimed in Moore Patent No. 1,895,893, as signed to the assignee of thepresent application, and comprises a pair of .related members t2 and 94, both whereof are disposed to be carried by the outside operated spindle 9B. The rollback element 96 is provided with an axial project-ion which is rotatably received in a corresponding opening provided therefor in the base 40 of the case plate and the element 92 is provided with a corresponding projection which is received in a counterbore formed in the element 94. The elements 92 and 94 thus lie in back-to-bacir relation and as described in said patent, the squared openings therein, which receive the spindle 96, are slightly angular-1y offset from each other. The element 94 is provided with a nose at which normally abuts the flange 38 of the case plate, as clearly appears in Fig. 4, and the element at is normally urged in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4 by means of the end it of the retracting link it. The element 923 is, therefore, normally urged to rotate in a counterclockwise direction with reference to the element 96, as viewed in fig. i, and its tendency to rotate, causes these members to bind upon the spindle to and prevent rattling thereof.

The element abuts a foot idii formed on the previously mentioned control arm 5 -63 which is pivotally mounted pin $52, so that a rotation of the outside rollback, as influenced by the spindle as, causes a cone-- spending rotation of the control arm 35. This rotation is imparted to the retracting member i since the foot also abuts the upper end oi the portion the retracting member 2%.

The inside handle operated link 3% lies in abutting relation to the base of the case plate. and is provided adjacent its end with a pin itt. which projects into the path of an additional foot 553 3 formed at the extreme upper end oi the control arm. With this relation, it will be understood that a sliding movement to the right, as viewed in the influence oi the inside handle (Fig. 1) causes the control arm 22d to rotate in a clockwise direc= tion, which rotation is imparted to the retracting member it by means or the foot lot formed on the latter. I

The control arm and the retracting member 26 are prov d with conventional cell type biasing springs and lot, respectively, which are conventicna secured to the base so of the ease plate, and v -ch urge their associated memhers continuousi, in a counterclockwise or latching direction.

The locking is illustrated a comprising the previously mentioned roller ..hich is carried at the lower end of a rod tit the upper end whereof projects through the dish mold of the associated door 52 and is provided with. a control button H2. The reduced ends of the roller til ride in which the under side of the end 16 of the retracting member is arranged as described upon the previously mentioned ig. 4, of the link til, under mechanism for the present latch angularly disposed slots, such as H4, provided in the base 40 of the case plate and in the auxiliary case plate member 84. The roller 90 is provided with a toggle spring Hi, the deformed end whereof resiliently retains the roller 80 in either thelower locking position shown in Fig. 4, or in the upper unlocked position as shown in Fig. 9. When the roller 90 is in the unlocked position shown in Fig. 9, it is out of range of the control arm 34 and the inside retracting member 24, and permits a free unlatching action in response to either the outside rollback 26 or the inside link 30. When, however, the roller is moved to the locked position shown in Fig. 4, as by depressing the button I I2 (Fig. 1), it lies in blocking relation to a projection I I8 formed on the control arm 34 and thus effectively prevents a clockwise rotation of the latter. The locked condition of the control arm 34 thus renders both the inside link 30 and the outside rollback 26 ineffective to actuate the control arm 34 or the retracting member 24. When in the locked position the roller 90 lies in abutting relation to the portion T4 01' the retracting member 24, so that it the latter is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, in response, for example, to a closing movement of the door, it becomes effective to cam the roller 90 from the locked position shown in Fig. 4 to the unlocked position shown in Fig. 9.

In addition to the foregoing inside operated locking mechanism, it is preferred to provide the I latch 01' the present invention with suitable outside key operated lock mechanism. This mechanism is illustrated in the present application as comprising a slide I20 which is supported adjacent the base 40 of the case plate, and the upper end whereof is disposed for movement from the lower unlocked position shown in Fig. 4 to an elevated position in blocking relation to a foot lo I22 formed on the rollback element 94. The slide I20 is disposed for actuation by means of the cam I24 which may be rotated by a spindle I25. The spindle I28 may, of course, be operated by means of the usual key.

Considering now the operation as a whole of the present improved latch, it will be understood that the parts are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in the fully closed position of the door, and with the inside locking button 2 in the locked position. With the parts in this relation, the earns 22 act upon the bolt 20 to urge the latter in a counterclockwise direction, under the influence of the biasing springs 26, which action wedges the bolt against the keeper element 44, and so continu- I ously urges the door to, and holds it in, the closed position. In addition, the under side of the bolt housing 36 rests upon the upper surface of the keeper element 46 so that the bolt 20 and the housing 36 act as a male dovetail element and are wedged between the keeper elements 44 and 46, 'thus preventing vertical rattling movements of the door.

Fig. 9, in which latter position it is out of blocking relation to the control arm 34.

With the parts thus released for normal operation, the door may be unlatched by rotating either the outside rollback 28, or by drawing the inside link 30 to the right as viewed in Fig. 4. The movement of the outside rollback 26 causes a clockwise rotation of the control arm 34 by virtue of the engagement by the rollback element 92 with the foot I00 formed on the control arm. The movement of the inside link 30 causes a cor responding rotation .of the .control arm 31, through the engagement between the roller we carried by the link and the foot I04 formed on the control arm.

The clockwise rotation of the control arm 34, as influenced either by'the outside rollback 25 or the inside link 30, as described above, causes a corresponding clockwise rotation of the retract ing member 24 by virtue of the engagement by I the control arm foot I00 with the upper end of the retracting member 24. v

The clockwise rotation of the member 24 causes the free end 16 thereof to move vertically upwardly, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 10, which upward movement causes a counterclockwise rotation of the cams 22. The counterclockwise rotation of the cams 22 withdraws them from the locking position shown in Fig. 3 to the retracted position shown in Fig. 10. During the course of this re-= tracting movement, the ends of the locking cams pass out of range of the nose 54 formed on the bolt 20 permitting the latter to rotate in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 10. This rotation is influenced in part by gravity, and is inilu enced in part by a tendency of the door to start in an opening direction. This latter influence is caused, of course, by the usual door seal which is in slightly compressed condition when the door is fully closed. It may be influenced also by the tendency of the person operating the door to urge the latter in an opening direction coincident with the movement of the outside or inside handle. In any event, upon removal of the cams 22 to the released position shown in iii, the bolt 20 assumes the position shown in this figure, which the nose 54 thereof lies in blocking tion to the faces of the earns 22, and thus be comes efiective to hold them in the retracted posh tions, independently of the position assumed by the end 16 of the retracting member 24. With bolt 20 in the released position shown in Fig. iii, it will be appreciated that it is ineffective to coop-= crate with the upper keeper abutment 44 and thus permits a free door opening movement.

The previously mentioned vertical movement of the outer end 16 of the retracting member With the locking button I I2 in the locked position, the roller 90, as previously described, lies in blocking relation to the nose II! formed on the control arm 34, thus rendering the outside rollback 28 and the inside link 30 ineffective to cause an unlatching oi the door.

To release the locking roller 90, and place the latch in condition for normal operation in response to either the outside rollback or the 1nside link 30, the inside button H2 may be moved upwardly, thus moving the roller 90 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in also moves such end thereof vertically out oi range of the lower lock. keeper element d6. Ac cordingly, if such end portion 'IB is retained. in the raised position until such time as it assumes a position to the left of the right hand side of the lock keeper element 46, as viewed in 3, the door may be moved to the fully open posh tion. If the lower end "iii of the retracting link 24 is permitted to resume its lowered position after release of the "bolt ill, but before it passes to the left of the right hand face of the lock keeper element 45, these elements are ellfective to hold the door in a partially opened or safety posi tion. Under normal circumstances it is, of course, to be expected that the retracting linlr. 24 will be retained in the lifted position snail ciently long to permit the door to move to the fully open position.

Upon release the outside rollback 26 or the inside link 30, which may normally be expected to occur as soon as the parts carried by the door have passed beyond the keeper element mounted upon the door pillar, the springs associated with the control arm 34 and the retracting member 24 become effective to restore these parts to the normal position shown in Fig. 4. The return of the retracting member 24 to the normal position moves the end 16 thereof downwardly out of supporting relation to the foot 10 associated with the locking cams 22. This action does not, however, restore the cams 22 to the locking position shown in Fig. 3 since these cams are, under the conditions mentioned, retained in their retracted positions by the nose 5% on the bolt 20. When the door is fully opened, accordingly, the bolt 20 normally occupies the position shown in Fig.

in which it retains the locking cams in corresponding retracted positions. If for any reason the bolt is rotated to a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 3 while the door is fully opened, as, for example, by the application of pressure to the tail 56 thereof, the only resulting action is a removal of the nose 5d thereof from blocking relation to the earns 22, and a resumption by the cams 26 of the locking position shown in Fig. 3. As appears hereinafter, the door may be moved to the fully closed position either with the bolt 20 in the retracted position shown in Fig. 10 or in the normal position shown in Fig. 3.

In moving the door from an open position to a closed position, it will be understood that the parts move from a posit-ion in which the bolt and the retracting link 24 are completely to the left of both look keeper elements 41% and 3%, through a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 10, to a final position shown in Fig. 3. During the course of this movement, the cam face associated with the retracting member 24 engages the correspondingly angled left hand face of the lower lock keeper element 66 (Fig. 3) and, as a consequence of further door closing movement, is cammed upwardly thereby. The upward camming movement lifts the end it to the retracting link 24 to a position in which it rides along the upper horizontal surface of the lock keeper element 45. As the door closing movement continues, the end 16 of the retracting link 24 passes beyond the right hand face of the lock keeper 46, and is thereupon forced to its normal lowered position, under the influence of its bias-- ing spring I08. As soon as this action occurs, the end I6 of the retracting link 24 lies opposite the vertical face of the lock keeper element 56. The latter face is, therefore, effective to cooperate with the end 16 of the retracting link {M to prevent an opening movement of the door, except in the event the retracting link 24 is lifted by means of either the inside or the outside handle. Thejust mentioned parts cooperate to holdthe door in the partially closed or safety position.

The lifting movement of the end 76 of the retracting link 24, as caused by the lock keeper element 46, also renders the end '56 effective to restore the locking cams to the retracted position shown in Fig. 10, in the event these cams have resumed the locking position, as described immediately above. The return of the cams 22 also permits the bolt 20 to resume the position shown in Fig, 10, in which the nose 54 thereof holds the cams 22 in retracted position. Even if the lock is moved to a locked position when the door is in its fully open position, it will be appreciated that the initial door closing movement reclockwise direction, lifting the nose 54 out of blocking relation to the ends of the cams 22, and permitting the cams to be urged in a clockwise locking direction by means of their biasing springs 68. At the time this release of the cam occurs, it will be understood that the cam portion 50 of the bolt 20 lies adjacent and in abutting relation to the locking face 52 of the abutment 44. The release of the cams 22, therefore, causes the bolt 20 to rotate in a counterclockwise or locking direction, bringing the cam portion 5|] thereof to abutting and wedging relation to the corresponding portion 52 of the lock keeper element 44.

As is described in detail in the above identified copending application, Serial No. 187,370, the release of the locking cams by the nose 54 enables the latter to immediately rotate towards the locked position shown in Fig. 3. The cam 60 being the shortest of the three is enabled to initially move to the greatest degree, and in a normal door closing movement maybe expected to also effective to further urge the bolt 20 in a counterclockwise direction. The initial cam 60, of course, is effective to positively prevent a clockwise or door unlatching movement of the bolt 20,

since the reaction of the bolt 20 on the cam 60 is to the right of the pivot point of the cam (Fig. 3) so that the major component of such reaction is in a further locking direction of rotation of the cam. Even though only one cam assumes the fully locking position, accordingly, the door is positively held in the latched position. It frequently occurs, of course, that as a consequence of road shocks or otherv conditions, or as a consequence of thewearing in of the usual door seal elements which are normally resilient, the door may be initially permitted to assume a position in tighter relation to the pillar. Under such conditions, it may be expected that the second cam 62 and possibly the third cam 64 will assume the fully locked position. that road shocks or the like will momentarily enable the door to move to a more tightly closed position, and in such event, the additional cams 62 and 6d immediately take up such further closing action, and hold the door in the maximum closed position. A positive protection against rattling of any kind is, therefore, afforded by the present mechanism.

It may occur from time to time that the inside Further door closing move-' It also frequently occurs abutting relation to the upper end H of the retracting link 24. As previously mentioned, a door closing movement causes the link 2 to rotate in a cloclwise direction, by virtue of the engagement of the end It thereof with the lower lock. keeper abutment 4. This clockwise rotation of the end of the link 24 enables the upper end portion I4 thereof to cam the roller "upwardly from the locked position shown in Fig. 4 to the unlocked position shown in-Fig. 9.

'It is thought that the action of the outside operated locking mechanism will be obvious from the previous description, it being noted again that the slide III may be moved from the retracted position shown in Figs. 4 and 9 to an elevated position in which the end thereof lies in blocking relation to the nose I22 on the roll-back element 84. With the parts in this condition, the spindle 86 is ineffective to rotate the outside rollback mechanism. A rotation of the 0am I associated with the slide I20, however, to the position.

shown in Figs. 4 and 9, enables the slide I20 to move downwardly under the influence of gravity, bringing the end thereof out of blocking relation to the path of .movement of the rollback 94, and releasing the latter for normal operation by the outside handle. v

It will be appreciated from the. foregoing description that the present invention provides an extremely simple and efiective latching device for closures, well adapted but not limited to use with vehicle doors, and that various modifications in the form, number, and arrangement of the parts therein may be made within the spirit an the scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a latch for cooperation between member and a pillar member, keeper means being carried by one of said members, the combination of a pivotally mounted bolt carried by the other of said members and having a head for cooperating with said keeper means, a holding member efa'door fective to bear against said bolt and urge said bolt into engaging relation with said keeper means so asto hold said door in a fully closed position, a retracting member actuable as an incident to a door closing movement to move said holding member to a retracted position out of cooperative.

relation to said bolt, and means rendering said bolt effective to hold said holding member in the retracted position.

2. In a latch for cooperation between -a door member and a pillar member, keeper means being carried by one of said members, the combination of a pivotally mounted bolt carried by the other of said members and having a head for coop erating with said keeper means, a holding member ei'iectiveto bear against said bolt and urge said bolt into engaging relation with said keeper means so as to hold said door in a fully closed position, a retracting member actuable as an incident to a door closing movement to move said holding member to a retracted position out of cooperative relation to said bolt, means rendering said bolt effective to hold said holding member in the retracted position, and means rendered eii'ective during a closing movement of said door for releasing said bolt from holding relation to said holding member.

3. In a latch for cooperation between a door I member and a pillar member, the combination of a pivotally mounted bolt having a head carried by one 01 said members, keeper means carried by the other of said members for cooperating with said bolt head, a holding member eiIective to bear against said bolt and urge said bolt into engaging relation with said keeper means so as to hold said door in a fully closed position, a retracting member actuable as an incident to a door closing movement to move said holding member to a retracted position out of cooperative relation to said bolt, meansv rendering said bolt effective to hold said holding member in the retracted position, said bolt having a tail portion engageable and movable by a portion of the keeper means during closing movement of the door so as to release said bolt from holding relation to said holding member.

ROLLO MARPLE. 

